Autumn Statement: Publication Costs

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of designing and printing the Autumn Statement 2010; how much revenue was derived from sales of copies; and how many times the document was accessed online.

Lord Sassoon: The Government did not publish an Autumn Statement document in 2010.

Aviation: Passenger Duty

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Sassoon on 23 January (Official Report, col. 796), whether they will consider nominating Hamilton, Bermuda, an associate member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as the capital in respect of all member states of CARICOM, for the purpose of calculating air passenger duty.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made plans to provide increased economic support to the Caribbean, in the event that the forthcoming increase in air passenger duty results in a fall in tourism and revenue to the region.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what revenue they received from air passenger duty in respect of passengers to the Caribbean region in each of the last five years; and what were the visitor numbers from the United Kingdom in each of those years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much is paid currently, and how much will be paid from 1 April 2012, by each passenger in air passenger duty, per 1,000 miles flown, in respect of flights to (a) Bridgetown, Barbados, and (b) Honolulu, Hawaii.

Lord Sassoon: The Government set out their policy on tax bandings in their response to the consultation on reform of air passenger duty on 6 December 2011. Tables confirming the rates that will apply from 1 April 2012 were published alongside the Autumn Statement.
	The Government do not hold information on air passenger duty revenues by destination.
	The Government provide development assistance to the Caribbean region through the Department for International Development's (DfID) operational plan 2011-15. Through the plan, DfID expects to create 10,000 new jobs, 50 per cent of these for women, and enable 228,000 people in coastal communities, including small farmers, to cope better with the effects of climate change and natural disasters.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the zero risk assumption applied to sovereign government debt under the Basle Committee rules for bank capital risk weighting, and of the impact of this on lending to small and medium-sized enterprises.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the current approach to risk weighting capital for banks encourages lending to (1) commercial property, and (2) small and medium-sized enterprises.

Lord Sassoon: The risk weights for banks are determined by international standards agreed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. These standards are incorporated in European Union legislation. The Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority keep all international standards under review within the global framework.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will examine the case for extending depositor protection to unlimited balances temporarily placed with a bank as a result of unusual events, such as a house sale or receipt of an inheritance.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme provides protection for up to £85,000 per depositor, per authorised institution.
	Coverage provided is subject to the EU deposit guarantee scheme directive. A recast of the directive is currently being negotiated.
	Once the final directive is agreed, the Financial Services Authority will review the level and scope of deposit coverage provided and prepare any changes that may be needed to ensure that the Financial Services Compensation Scheme is compliant.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 1 February (WA 326) regarding the hypothecation of client securities, whether, taking into account the United Kingdom's market leadership in this activity, they will consider taking action to strengthen the safeguarding of customer securities held with United Kingdom financial services firms without waiting for action by the rest of the European Union.

Lord Sassoon: The UK public authorities play a leading role in examining these types of questions in relevant European and international fora. This dialogue is important to ensure that there is a robust evidence base for action.

Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the policy of "Maxwellisation" of public inquiry reports of the sort produced by the Financial Services Authority on the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority's (FSA) investigation into the failure of the Royal Bank of Scotland was not a public inquiry. It was initiated by the FSA and carried out by its board.
	In such cases, arrangements for informing the subject of intended criticism and considering their representations are for the body carrying out the investigation to determine. In doing so, the body must take into account the principles of procedural fairness and relevant case law. This will generally involve informing the subject of the report of the criticisms to be made and having regard to their representations.

Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Stephen Hester's employment contract with the Royal Bank of Scotland was "signed by the last government", as has been suggested by the Prime Minister.

Lord Sassoon: Stephen Hester's employment contract is between him and the Royal Bank of Scotland as his employer. Therefore, neither Her Majesty's Government nor UK Financial Investments (UKFI) is a signatory of the contract.
	Stephen Hester's appointment as a director was subject to shareholder approval at the annual general meeting and was supported by UKFI.

Black History Month

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what initiatives they are planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Black History Month in October 2012.

Baroness Rawlings: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is aware of a number of initiatives being organised by national and regional museums to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Black History Month in October. These include a programme of shows and tours to bring to life the lives of black inventors and scientists at the Science Museum; "Black Mariners Discovery Day" at the National Maritime Museum; and exhibitions about black soldiers who fought for Britain during the First and Second World Wars at the Imperial War Museum.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the European Union regarding the vaccination of cattle against tuberculosis; on what dates; and what response was received.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Secretary of State met Commissioner Dalli on 14 March 2011 to discuss bovine TB generally and in particular the development and use of a cattle vaccine and a test to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals. The Minister of State met Commissioner Dalli on 6 February 2012, when they spoke about cattle vaccination; this time to support the Commission's draft proposals for a new EU animal health law, which would allow the Commission, with the support of member states, to lift the ban on cattle vaccination when the evidence and appropriate certifications are in place. We continue to lobby hard for a change to EU legislation, but realistically this is still several years away and we cannot be confident other member states will agree to it.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to produce a final report on the badger culling pilot schemes; whether, and if so when and how, interim reports will be published; and what assessments will be made of those interim reports.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Two badger control pilots will be carried out from early autumn this year to test our assumptions about the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of controlled shooting. The evaluation of controlled shooting will be overseen by an independent panel of experts, who are expected to report to Ministers before the end of the year. Ministers will then take a decision on whether the granting of culling licences should be authorised in other areas besides the pilot areas, and whether the badger control policy should continue to include controlled shooting as a culling method. We aim to make this decision by January 2013.

Exports and Imports: Netherlands

Lord Temple-Morris: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total value of imports from and exports to the Netherlands in the last full year; what is their estimate of the value of foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom from Netherlands-domiciled companies; what is the estimated workforce of United Kingdom entities owned by Netherlands companies; and what is the estimated direct investment in the Netherlands of United Kingdom companies.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Figures published by the Office for National Statistics in the Pink Book 2011 show that UK imports from the Netherlands totalled £30,347 million in 2010, and UK exports to the Netherlands totalled £31,319 million in 2010.
	Figures published by the Office for National Statistics in the Business Monitor MA4-Foreign Direct Investment Involving UK Companies 2010 show that the value of FDI in the UK from the Netherlands was an estimated £114,702 million at the end of 2010, and the value of investment in the Netherlands by UK companies was an estimated £147,445 million at the end of 2010.
	Figures published by the Office for National Statistics in the Foreign-ownership of Businesses in the UK show that the estimated employment in the UK in March 2010 in Netherlands-owned enterprises was at least 195,000, based on the country of ultimate ownership.
	
		
			 UK imports from Netherlands (2010) £30.3 billion 6% of all UK imports 
			 UK exports to Netherlands (2010) £31.3 billion 7% of all UK exports 
			 UK FDI in Netherlands (end-2010) £147.4 billion 14% of UK FDI abroad 
			 Netherlands FDI in UK (end-2010) £114.7 billion 16% of FDI in the UK 
			 Employment in UK in Netherlands-owned enterprises (ultimate ownership) (March 2010)* 194,515 1% of all UK employment 
		
	
	* Due to the ownership of some UK enterprises being "unknown" (in terms of whether UK or foreign-owned), the figure should he taken as a minimum rather than an absolute. An enterprise or group of enterprises may be owned at the enterprise or group level or by a separate holding company or legal entity. This entity may in turn be owned by a series of further companies or legal entities, the highest level of which is the ultimate owner.

Finance: Volcker Rule

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the Debt Management Office have considered the potential implications of the extra-territorial reach of the United States regulation known as the Volcker Rule on liquidity in the secondary market for gilts; and whether they have made representations to the Government of the United States on this issue.

Lord Sassoon: The Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the chairman of the Federal Reserve on the issue of the Volcker Rule on 23 January 2012. A copy of the letter has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in their discussions with the Government of Israel on access restrictions to Gazan farmland, they have raised the issue of access to farmland being prohibited by live fire from remotely controlled weapon stations containing machine guns, as detailed in the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, occupied Palestinian territories report Between the Fence and a Hard Place.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK frequently raises with the Israeli authorities our concerns on the impact of restrictions on Gaza, urging Israel to comply with her international obligations. The UK continues to lobby Israel to ease such restrictions, including on exports, construction material imports and movement of people to improve the lives of the Gazan people.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) most recently raised issues relating to Gaza during the visit to the UK by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on 18 January 2012.
	We have not raised the specific issue of access restrictions to farmland. We are considering with our European Union partners what further action can be taken.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel concerning re-opening Israeli markets to cash crops grown by Gazan farmers.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK frequently raises with the Israeli authorities our concerns on the impact of restrictions on Gaza, urging Israel to comply with her international obligations. The UK continues to lobby Israel to ease such restrictions, including on exports, construction material imports and movement of people to improve the lives of the Gazan people.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) most recently raised issues relating to Gaza during the visit to the UK by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on 18 January 2012.
	We have not raised the specific issue of cash crops grown by Gazan farmers. We are considering with our European Union partners what further action can be taken.

Government Departments: Overseas Exhibitions

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government why UK Trade and Investment decided not to organise a joint chalet with ADS (AeroSpace Defence Security) at the Bahrain International Airshow in January 2012, as had been planned in the United Kingdom aerospace international strategy 2011.

Baroness Wilcox: UK Trade and Investment keeps its attendance at international exhibitions under regular review. As planned UKTI DSO deployed a small team to support the Bahrain Air Show but did not procure a chalet on this occasion as, with a limited industrial presence, the expense could not be justified.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel on enforcing the law against Israeli civilians who commit crimes against Palestinians; and in particular regarding the investigation into the death of Yousef Ikhlayl, who was shot while working on his farmland on 28 January 2011.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our officials in Israel regularly raise concerns with the Israeli authorities that Israeli citizens (including settlers) and Palestinians are treated differently by the Israeli judicial system. We call on all authorities and other groups in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to do all they can to prevent loss of innocent life, to bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice and to reduce current tensions.
	We are aware of the tragic and unnecessary death of Mr Yousef Ikhlayl, a young man aged 17, on 28 January 2011, which is a clear demonstration of the terrible impact of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
	As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) said in his statement of 17 December 2011 on settler violence: "The package of measures announced by Prime Minister Netanyahu in response to settler violence is a welcome step forward. We look forward to seeing the results of these measures, and to seeing those behind the violence punished under law".

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the appeal of the Secretary General of the United Nations on 1 February for goodwill gestures by Israel towards the Palestinians; and whether they will discuss with him and the Government of Israel how such measures might be implemented.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK strongly supports the appeal of the Secretary General of the United Nations for goodwill gestures by Israel towards the Palestinians.
	We have welcomed the efforts of King Abdullah of Jordan and Jordanian Foreign Minister, Nasser Judeh, to bring the parties together under the framework of the quartet statement of 23 September 2011. We call on both sides to seize this opportunity and show the political leadership and courage needed to make progress towards a negotiated two-state solution.
	In our regular contact with key international partners, including quartet members (the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia), as well as directly with the parties, we continue to push the need for both the Israelis and Palestinians to refrain from unhelpful actions, to build confidence through continued engagement in the Amman talks and to consider how best to implement any measures agreed.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the expansion of Israeli settlements, what discussions they have had in Ramallah concerning the future of Palestinians in the West Bank and the funding of the Palestinian Authority.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Continued systematic settlement construction by Israel in disputed territory in the Occupied Palestinian Territory makes it ever harder to achieve the common goal of international efforts: a contiguous state of Palestine side-by-side with a secure Israel, with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We regularly raise the issue of settlement expansion with the Israeli authorities, as well as discuss its impact with representatives of the Palestinian Authority.
	The remains committed to continuing to assist the Palestinians to tackle poverty, build institutions and develop their economy. We recently re-affirmed UK support for the Palestinian people, including the Department for International Development's financial assistance, at top level during the visit by Palestinian President Abbas to the UK on 16 and 17 January 2012.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take action in support of the statement of the Deputy Special Co-ordinator of the Middle East Peace Process, Mr Maxwell Gaylard, that "the current policy and practice of demolitions (in the occupied West Bank) ... should end".

Lord Howell of Guildford: It is a well established UK view that house demolitions and the eviction of Palestinians from their homes are deeply unhelpful when the focus should be on confidence-building steps with the aim of giving momentum to negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians towards a two-state solution.
	The UK continues to lobby Israel regularly on issues relating to house demolitions and settlement building, along with our European Union partners. We view any attempts to change the facts on the ground as a provocation likely to raise tensions and cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, as well as being harmful to the peace process and in contravention of international law.

Justice and Security

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government which organisations and individuals have responded to the public consultation on the Justice and Security Green Paper.

Lord McNally: The Government received responses from 90 individuals, organisations or groups to the public consultation on the Justice and Security Green Paper. The Government intend to publish these responses in the coming weeks and are in the process of seeking the authors' permission to do so. To date we have received permission from 44 respondents and we are aware that a further 17 responses have already been independently published. I have placed a list of those respondents in the Library.

Marine Environment: Conservation Zones

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 16 January (WA 116-17), whether they have submitted a list of their recommended marine conservation zone sites to the European Commission for approval; and, if so, when a response is expected.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Marine conservation zones will be designated under Part 5 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 so do not require approval from the European Commission.
	As part of the wider marine protected area network, Defra submitted its first five offshore marine sites to the European Commission as candidate special area of conservation (cSAC) in August 2008, and submitted a further 15 marine sites in August 2010. Further sites were sent to the Commission in 2011, including the offshore site the Dogger Bank and two inshore marine candidate SAC extensions (Lune Deep and Prawle Point to Start Point). These are now offered protection under the European Commission habitats directive.

Marine Environment: Conservation Zones

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 16 January (WA 116-17), what restrictions they hope to be able to implement in any of the 57 marine conservation zone sites that are recommended which cross or are entirely outwith the 12 nautical mile boundary.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: No decisions have been made about the location of marine conservation zones (MCZs), or what activities may be restricted within the sites designated. Any restrictions to activities within an MCZ will vary from site to site, depending on factors such as the feature(s) being protected, the type and quantity of activity being managed, and the conservation objectives for the site. Decisions on the most appropriate management measures will be made by the relevant public authority on a case by case basis. Any fisheries management measures required between 6nm-12nm which affect the historic fishing rights of other EU member states or outside 12nm will need to be agreed through the Common Fisheries Policy processes.
	Stakeholders will be consulted by public authorities through the normal processes for putting in place management activities and we will continue to work with stakeholders throughout the process.

NHS: Clinical Commissioning Groups

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department of Health or the NHS Commissioning Board have entered into discussions with private companies which might assist clinical commissioning groups to undertake commissioning; and if so, which companies were selected, what criteria were used to select them, and at what cost.

Earl Howe: No. Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, clinical commissioning groups will have the freedom to secure their commissioning support from wherever they want, subject as public bodies, to their undertaking of the necessary procurement processes.

NHS: Primary Care Trusts

Lord Newton of Braintree: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans for any further clustering of primary care trusts in advance of the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There are currently 50 primary care trust (PCT) clusters across the National Health Service in England. The local NHS determined the appropriate cluster geographies to ensure they could maintain management capacity and performance during the transition. These geographies were signed off by the department.
	The Government are not aware of any need to further cluster PCTs together.

Nigeria

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the recent activities of Nigeria's Boko Haram militants represent a regional threat; whether they have received a request from the Government of Nigeria to place the organisation on the proscribed list of terrorists; and, if so whether they will do so.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The British Government assesses that Boko Haram represents a threat primarily in Northern and Central regions of Nigeria, this is reflected in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Travel Advice (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-1iving-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria). We do not normally comment on whether an organisation is, or is not, under consideration for proscription-or on discussions with other Governments on such issues.

Passports

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many face-to-face interviews were carried out at each passport personal interview centre in (1) 2010, and (2) 2011.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many passport applications were rejected at each passport personal interview centre in (1) 2010, and (2) 2011.

Lord Henley: Figures for the number of interviews conducted and for the number of passports rejected as a direct result of confirmation of identity interviews are given below. In addition to the instances of confirmed fraud that this figure represents, applications have also been withdrawn when customers are advised that an identity interview is required.
	
		
			  Interviews Applications rejected Applications Withdrawn 
			 2010 302,825 5 1,633 
			 2011 192,179 0 446 (to June) 
		
	
	The number of interviews by office is contained within accompanying table.
	
		
			 Financial year 2010-11  April 2011-Dec 2011  
			 Office Total Office Total 
			 Aberdeen 1,889 Aberdeen 41 
			 Aberystwyth 576 Aberystwyth 1,237 
			 Armagh 1,040 Armagh 41 
			 Belfast 3,778 Belfast 3,089 
			 Berwick on Tweed 2 Berwick on Tweed Closed 
			 Birmingham 20,652 Birmingham 14,654 
			 Blackburn 6,849 Blackburn 4,586 
			 Bournemouth 2,622 Bournemouth 403 
			 Brighton 3,398 Brighton 571 
			 Bristol 4,947 Bristol 5,309 
			 Bury St Edmunds 30 Bury St Edmunds Closed 
			 Carlisle 1,326 Carlisle 385 
			 Chelmsford 9,419 Chelmsford 7,283 
			 Cheltenham 2,598 Cheltenham 470 
			 Coleraine 1,226 Coleraine 405 
			 Crawley 5,649 Crawley 4,407 
			 Derby 6,865 Derby 5,551 
			 Dundee 2,044 Dundee 1,184 
			 Edinburgh 4,300 Edinburgh 3,571 
			 Exeter 2,758 Exeter 298 
			 Glasgow 9,960 Glasgow 7,731 
			 Inverness 853 Inverness 697 
			 Ipswich 2,630 Ipswich 685 
			 Kendal 1,249 Kendal 339 
			 Kings Lynn 1,023 Kings Lynn 254 
			 Kingston upon Hull 3,150 Kingston upon Hull 790 
			 Leeds 11,212 Leeds 8,689 
			 Leicester 5,799 Leicester 4,981 
			 Lincoln 2,774 Lincoln 619 
			 Liverpool 9,346 Liverpool 6,607 
			 London 59,519 London 39,224 
			 Luton 11,248 Luton 6,972 
			 Maidstone 7100 Maidstone 4,637 
			 Manchester 14,419 Manchester 10,107 
			 Middlesbrough 3,702 Middlesbrough 835 
			 Newcastle 7,092 Newcastle Closed 
			 Newport 5,947 Newport 4,730 
			 Newport IOW 496 Newport IOW 219 
			 Northampton 3,926 Northampton 549 
			 Norwich 2868 Norwich 1,252 
			 Oban 11 Oban Closed 
			 Oxford 3,088 Oxford 822 
			 Peterborough 4,137 Peterborough 4,306 
			 Plymouth 1,970 Plymouth 2,545 
			 Portsmouth 4,775 Portsmouth 4,752 
			 Reading 11,740 Reading 7,263 
			 Ripon 571 Ripon 130 
			 Scarborough 9 Scarborough Closed 
			 Selkirk 344 Selkirk 46 
			 Sheffield 7,424 Sheffield 5,906 
			 Shrewsbury 1,914 Shrewsbury 408 
			 Sleaford 4 Sleaford Closed 
			 South Molton 16 South Molton Closed 
			 St Austell 1,512 St Austell 149 
			 Stoke on Trent 3,743 Stoke on Trent 809 
			 Swansea 3,586 Swansea 818 
			 Swindon 2,098 Swindon 517 
			 Warwick 3,124 Warwick 1,022 
			 Wick 145 Wick 49 
			 Wrexham 2,817 Wrexham 1,632 
			 Yeovil 1,664 Yeovil 749 
			 York 1,852 York 387 
			   Durham 6,467 
			 Totals 302,825 Totals 192,179

Passports

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the locations of the passport personal interview centres in the United Kingdom.

Lord Henley: The locations of personal passport interview centres are available from the Direct Gov website, accessible via the following link: www.direct. gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/Applicationinformation/DG_174153.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the BBC's pension scheme liability is included within the net public service pension liability reported in the Whole of Government Accounts; and, if so, what is the size of that liability and whether the new public sector pension arrangements will apply to the BBC's scheme.

Lord Sassoon: The BBC's pension scheme liability is included in the net public service pension liability reported in the Whole of Government Accounts. The BBC's pension liability was £1,647 million as at 31 March 2010.
	The new public sector pension arrangements do not apply to the BBC's scheme, as the BBC's pension scheme is administered by the BBC pension scheme trustees, who manage the BBC's pension scheme arrangements.

Prisons: Suicides

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many 18 to 20 year-olds have committed suicide in prison in each of the past 10 years; and how many have attempted to do so in each of those years.

Lord McNally: Every death in prison is a tragedy and affects families, staff and other prisoners deeply. Ministers and the Ministry of Justice including the National Offender Management Service are committed to learning from such events to reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison custody.
	The number of self-inflicted deaths involving 18 to 20-year olds in the past 10 years is shown in the following table. These form part of the Ministry of Justice annual published statistics. Figures for 2011 are not yet available.
	NOMS records numbers of self-harm incidents in prison custody but does not hold information on attempted suicides as it is very difficult to understand the motivation behind each incident and not all self harm is undertaken with suicidal intent.
	Since 2009, the Ministry of Justice has published a wide range of "Safety in Custody" statistics. These include annual figures for deaths in custody, recorded assault and self-harm and can be accessed via the following link: http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody.htm.
	
		
			 Apparent Self-Inflicted: Male And Female Young Adults 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 * 
			 All Age Bands 73 95 95 96 78 67 92 61 61 58 (p) 
			 18-20 10 12 12 6 10 2 6 5 5 4 
		
	
	(P) Provisional figure.
	* In 2010 a new category of "unclassified death" was introduced; therefore figures are not comparable with earlier years.
	The Ministry of Justice issued a news release on 1 January 2012 reporting the number of apparent self-inflicted deaths that had occurred during the previous 12 months. It reported that a total of 57 deaths had occurred in the previous year including seven deaths of 18-20 year-olds. This figure is subject to confirmation and will be published in the official statistics in July.

Prisons: Young Offenders

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many 18 to 20 year-olds were accommodated in the prison service in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011; and of those what proportion were not accommodated in young offender institutions in each of those years.

Lord McNally: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated YOI accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The information requested is included in the following table:
	
		
			 Date Total 18-20 Year-Olds Proportion held in dedicated YOI Proportion held in dual-designated HMP and YOI 
			 June 2008 8,709 63% 37% 
			 June 2009 8,706 66% 34% 
			 June 2010 8,526 62% 38% 
			 June 2011 7,885 60% 40% 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Royal Family: Official Visits

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what official overseas assignments the Duke of York has undertaken since stepping down as special representative for trade in 2011, and to which countries; what were the costs funded by the Government, if any; and what was his role in each trip.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: HRH the Duke of York announced in July last year that he was relinquishing his role as UK Special Representative for Trade and Investment; however he has honoured a number of pre-existing diary commitments over recent months. A list of official overseas visits since July 2011 funded by, and undertaken in agreement with and in support, of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO's) and/or UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI's) objectives, is at Annex A. This list does not include official military visits undertaken in HRH the Duke of York's capacity as a senior member of the Royal Family.
	FCO and/or UKTI pay certain expenses, including accommodation and in-country travel costs (but excluding all air travel) for official overseas visits undertaken by HRH the Duke of York. FCO and/or UKTI also pay associated expenses for his supporting staff. These visits are undertaken in agreement with FCO and/or UKTI and in support of HMG objectives.
	The total cost to UKTI for these visits will be available on the UKTI website following the publication of UKTI's audited accounts for the year ending March 2012. The cost for the FCO visit is expected to be available when the Duke of York publishes his annual review in the summer.
	Air travel to and from countries and in-country is paid for by the Royal Travel Office. Further information can be obtained from the Grant-in-Aid for Royal Travel by Air and Rail annual report that forms part of the Royal Public Finances annual report. Details can be found on the British monarchy website: http://www.royal. gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/Royalfinances/Annual FinancialReports/Annualfinancialreport.aspx.
	
		
			 Annex A 
			 Date Country visited Funded by * Role 
			 18-23 September 2011 Saudi Arabia UKTI To demonstrate the UK's commitment to the trade relationship with Saudi Arabia; progressing our relationship with key contacts in the Saudi Arabian Government and heads of industry. Emphasis was placed on the UK as a key commercial partner, specifically for high value opportunities. 
			 26 September - 2 October 2011 Singapore UKTI To undertake high level bilateral meetings with Singapore Ministers to promote UK/Singaporean bilateral relationship and raise issues of interest. 
			 23-28 October 2011 South China UKTI To forge new and cement existing relationships with key Chinese leaders and business people, following up on leads generated during his visit in 2010 as well as supporting existing bilateral trade and investment initiatives. 
			 30 October - 1 November 2011 Malaysia UKTI To support UK companies and institutions operating in the country, including promotion of the Olympics. During the visit HRH called upon the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, the Prime Minister and the Sultan of Johor. He also opened Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) and visited Shell's Floating Production System for the Gumusut Kakap field and attended a Dinner with British and Malaysian companies. 
			 20-23 November 2011 Qatar UKTI The Duke of York was invited by the Emir to attend the opening of Shell's $20 billion Pearl GTL plant. DECC Minister Charles Hendry also attended. This event and their wider programmes reinforced key UK trade, investment and energy messages to the top decision makers here. Both the Duke and the Minister carried out wider programmes around the opening. HRH focused on taking forward our trade and investment objectives in meetings with the Emir, Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim (HbJ), Deputy Prime Minister Al Attiyah, the Business and Trade Minister, Governor of the Central Bank and top Qatari and British businessmen. 
			 24 November 2011 United Arab Emirates FCO To mark the 40th anniversary of the creation of the UAE and highlight the UK's strong support and recognition of this important milestone in the UAE's history. To maintain the strong bilateral relationship, reinforcing ties with Emirati Ruling families, opportunity to promote key events in UK (e.g. 2012 Olympics) and demonstrating that the relationship is unique. To strengthen commercial links and encourage growth of business between the two countries. To support our partnership on security and political issues (from energy security to co-operation in, for example, Libya). 
			 26-28 January 2012 Switzerland UKTI To attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, host the UK reception, host a dinner for the Indonesian Minister of Trade and undertake a number of bilateral engagements. 
		
	
	* Excludes all air travel.

Somalia

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will press for the Somalia conference to ensure that any new approach to security or displacement in the Horn of Africa agreed by the conference is in line with international Refugee Law, particularly with regard to Somalis seeking refuge and asylum in Kenya.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The London conference on Somalia aims to deliver a new, action-oriented international consensus on Somalia and to make progress on several areas, including security and regional stability. We recognise Kenya's huge generosity in hosting refugees for many years, and we will continue to support these efforts. We will also continue to urge the Kenyan Government and others in the region to respect the rights of those seeking asylum and existing refugees in line with international refugee law.

Statutory Instruments

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each parliamentary Session since 2001, how many statutory instruments laid by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessor departments were reprinted due to (1) defective drafting, and (2) other error; how much each reprinting cost; and who paid for each reprinting.

Lord Marland: Information on statutory instruments laid by the predecessors of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Since DECC's establishment in 2008 three statutory instruments have been reprinted due to defective drafting and four have been reprinted due to other error. The parliamentary Sessions in which they were laid and the reprinting costs, which were paid by DECC, are set out below.
	
		
			 Statutory instrument Reason for reprinting Cost of reprinting 
			 Parliamentary Session 2009-10 
			 Carbon Accounting (Amendment) Regulations 2009 Other error £409.50 
			 Renewables Obligation(Amendment) Order 2010 Other error £440 
			 Parliamentary Session 2010-12 
			 Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Inspections and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2011 Defective drafting £316 
			 Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 First reprint: defective drafting £608.73 
			  Second re-print: other error £359.25 
			 Offshore Chemicals (Amendment) Regulations 2011 First reprint: defective drafting £513.17 
			  Second re-print: other error £359.25

Taxation

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Deputy Prime Minister was expressing the collective view of the Cabinet in calling for a speeding up of the increase in tax-free allowances.

Lord Sassoon: The coalition agreement sets out the Government's tax priorities, including the longer term goal to increase the personal allowance to £10,000.

Taxation: Interest Rates

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the rate of interest that taxpayers incur when they owe money to HM Revenue and Customs; and what rate of interest HM Revenue and Customs pay on money owed to taxpayers.

Lord Sassoon: For all main taxes, for which Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) charges interest for late payment, the rate is 3 per cent. Where HMRC pays interest on overpaid tax the rate is 0.5 per cent.
	For corporation tax quarterly instalment payments (QIPs), the rate for late payment is 1.5 per cent and for repayment 0.5 per cent.
	HMRC interest rates are determined by formulae specified in legislation.

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations from local communities regarding the length of the consultation period, due to end on 10 February, for Thames Water's phase two consultation on the Thames Tideway Tunnel, in view of the inclusion of the Christmas break in that period.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have exchanged any correspondence with the Mayor of London regarding an extension to the consultation period for Thames Water's phase two consultation on the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to Thames Water regarding an extension to the deadline for responses to their phase two consultation on the Thames Tideway Tunnel to allow residents of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham the same amount of time as was allowed for residents in the London Borough of Richmond during the phase one consultation.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Defra has not received representations from local communities regarding the length of Thames Water's public consultation on the proposed Thames Tunnel. However it has received a letter on this subject from the Mayor of London, dated, 14 December 2011, and a letter from the leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, dated 17 January 2012. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Richard Benyon MP, replied to the Mayor of London on 2 February 2012.
	Thames Water is currently undertaking a phase two public consultation on the proposed Thames Tunnel which is planned to last for 14 weeks. The first phase of the consultation took place over 18 weeks.
	An application for development consent by Thames Water for the project is likely to be made under the provisions of the Planning Act 2008 which requires a minimum period for consultation of 28 days but does not set a maximum period.
	Ministers currently have no power to direct Thames Water regarding the length of its consultation period. However, Thames Water will need to demonstrate to the Infrastructure Planning Commission, or from April 2012 its successor the Planning Inspectorate, that it has met the requirement to consult effectively as part of its planning application.
	It is for Thames Water as the promoter of the proposed Thames Tunnel project to ensure that it has effectively consulted on its proposals and taken into account received comments, whilst not adding unnecessary delay and cost to its customers.

UK Financial Investments Ltd

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Financial Investments were consulted and agreed all pay packages in excess of £1 million at banks in which the taxpayer has an ownership interest.

Lord Sassoon: The Government's shareholdings in financial institutions are managed on an arm's-length and commercial basis by UK Financial Investments (UKFI). UKFI engages with the banks within its remit of a commercial shareholder, seeking to ensure that incentives are based on long-term, sustainable performance which rebuilds the businesses of the banks and protects value for the taxpayer as shareholder. UKFI seeks to ensure that the banks do not pay any more than is necessary to protect their commercial interests.

UK Honours

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 30 January (WA 298-300), whether a review has taken place of how well knighthoods and damehoods are shared among deserving people, in the light of the figures showing that of the last 10 half-year honours lists, 31.6 per cent were awarded to those holding the title of professor.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There were two comprehensive reviews of the honours system in 2004, one carried out by the Public Administration Select Committee and the other by Sir Hayden Phillips, at that time the Permanent Secretary with responsibility for the honours system. These reviews led to wholesale reform of the honours system to make it more transparent and accountable. Among the reforms adopted at that time were clear, explicit (and published) criteria for consideration of honours nominations. All nominations are considered by independent specialist committees, also established as part of the reform process. The Government further committed to report on the honours system every three years; the most recent of these reports was published in 2011. The report includes details of the advice given to the honours committees and an overview of the allocation of awards during the period. Both reviews of the honours system, and the Government's response to them outlining the reforms enacted, are available on the DirectGov website.
	The criteria for awards at knight and dame level state that nominees should be pre-eminent in their field, recognised by their peers and be making an impact at national level. Of the eight independent honours committees, three (Education, Health and Science and Technology) account for 34 per cent of the available awards at knight and dame level in each honours list, and by the nature of their specialist subject areas consider a large number of people with academic qualifications. Given that the title of professor is accorded to only the most senior of academics and practitioners, it is unsurprising that a significant percentage of recipients at knight and dame level hold the title professor.
	The Cabinet Office always strives to encourage a greater diversity of nominations from the public and carries out outreach work to attract nominations from groups identified as under-represented in the honours system. We are satisfied that existing governance arrangements are effective and there are no plans to commission any additional review of the current system.

Waste Management: Food

The Earl of Selborne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to raising a landfill tax on food waste.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The objective of landfill tax is to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill, which should be the option of last resort for biodegradable waste. Food waste sent to landfill is taxed at the standard rate of landfill tax of £56 a tonne.
	Budget 2011 announced that the Government will legislate for an increase in the standard rate of landfill tax by £8 a tonne each year up to 2014-15. The Government also announced a floor under the standard rate of landfill tax so that the rate will not fall below £80 a tonne from 2014-15 to 2019-20.
	Tax policy is a matter for the Treasury and any changes to taxes are announced at the Budget.

Waterways: Canals

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many canals in England are open for tourism.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: British Waterways is responsible for about 2,390 km of navigable canals in England, all of which are open for tourism except when closed for maintenance and repairs. The Environment Agency has one canal, and that is open to tourists. There are at least 230 km of navigable canals managed by a wide range of other bodies, including local authorities, port authorities and charitable trusts. Some canals under restoration by canal trusts/societies may still be open to tourists.